After several phases of alpha testing for World of WarcraftMidnight expansion Blizzard finally released the beta that players who purchased the Epic Edition of the expansion can now play and experience, regardless of invitation. While it may be tempting to play through the new storyline and areas, there are obviously spoilers in doing so. But fans can still join World of WarcraftMidnight beta and experience something completely new – the reworked and rebalanced classes, along with the new Devourer spec for Demon Hunters. With the so-called “pruning” of abilities in Midnight, each class and spec has fewer tools to play with, which can be a blessing and a curse.
World of Warcrafts removed abilities in Midnight serve the purpose of simplifying the game loop and reducing mental stress. This has its pros and cons, with some fans liking what has been done so far with the various classes, and others arguing that the game is too easy now, with a much lower skill cap at high levels. Specifically, the big crop of Midnight and the latest beta patch notes and changes make it clear that the Paladin class is one step forward, two steps back.
According to data, Paladin is the most played class in World of Warcraft.
Say goodbye to World of Warcraft's Paladin as you know it
There are a few reasons why World of Warcraft Paladins are in a strange state at midnight, even stranger than some other classes. These are:
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Retribution Paladin:
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There is no passive Holy Power generation anymore, which dramatically changes the gameplay and general feel of the class. For example, Divine Toll no longer casts Judgment for free, but rather gives your next Judgment crews. With less Holy Power generation, the spec can feel a little slower and more boring, even though it's more streamlined.
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Herald of the Sun can now surpass Templar as a hero tree, which could be interesting after the latter dominated most of The War Within.
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The new one World of Warcraft Apex Talents for Retribution Paladin includes a special attack called Art of War, whose animation is just a wave of light in a cone, similar to the old Light of Dawn. Some fans are upset that it lacks punch, and decent damage is almost guaranteed now that damage meters are still missing in the beta.
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Finally, Retribution Paladins took a big 11% damage across the board in the latest beta patch notes for Midnight in Wowand that was the only change made to the spec. This will likely make up for the extra damage on melee autoattacks for all classes, which was a big and welcome change for Paladins instead.
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Holy Paladin:
- World of Warcraft cut interrupts on healers at midnight, so Holy Paladins can no longer use Rebuke.
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Divine Toll and Holy Prism are on a valnode, which is sad for the spec, as both were used consistently across the board. It further exacerbates the feeling of excessive cropping in this particular case.
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One silver lining is that Light of Dawn no longer has a hard cap at 5 targets, but instead now heals all allies within 40 yards. This can be a huge buff for Holy Paladins i Wow Midnight raids.
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Holy Paladins got a potentially very good Apex talent with Beacon of the Savior, but it was unfortunately nerfed in the last patch by making its absorbing shield 50% less powerful.
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The spec received a 5% reduction in healing done in the last patch.
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A new talent, called Armory of the Light, gives players the ability to use 2-handed weapons over 1-handed and shield, and still have a chance to parry incoming physical attacks. This could also be great for cosmetic options and gameplay. However, using a 2-handed weapon makes it impossible to use Shield of the Righteous, which is often woven into Holy Paladin's rotation in TWW, and possibly even more so with Midnight taking away a lot of buttons.
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Protection Paladin:
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The biggest change to Protection Paladin is that Consecration is no longer a mandatory tool for defense, as the class Mastery is no longer tied to the character being in Consecration. This is a good change and it makes the gameplay more intuitive.
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Word of Glory no longer grants block chances, and with the loss of various tools, such as Eye of Tyr, Moment of Glory, and Bastion of Light, the spec can feel squishier. Protection Paladin was already the tank with the most survivability issues, so that doesn't help.
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Since there is no passive Holy Power generation, players need to be more careful when using their Divine Steed ability, as the new Valiant Crusade talent grants the effects of Shield of the Righteous during Divine Steed and for 4 seconds afterwards. This means that one must either have the Holy Power for a Shield of the Righteous ready before a draw or time the Divine Steed afterwards.
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Why World of Warcraft's Paladin class might not land at midnight
These aren't necessarily bad changes in a vacuum, but given the current state of the spec in The War Within, these are mostly jarring to existing playstyles, or at least dramatic departures from them. Retribution Paladin is already considered the easiest damage spec in the game along with Beast Mastery Hunter, so additional pruning and a slower feel with no passive Holy Power could reinforce this idea. World of Warcrafts meta remains to be seen at this point, and things could change, but Retribution seems to be a standard spec overall.
On the other hand, Holy Paladin is still undergoing major design changes in Midnight, with new talents like Armory of the Light being added and other abilities and passives constantly changing. This could be a sign of a bigger problem, as the class's identity as a melee healer could change in some shape or form. Likewise, World of Warcrafts tank specs can be more successful when they are less reliant on healers, and with fewer defensive cooldowns and a Holy Power generator that doesn't directly engage pre-cast moves (Blessed Hammer), Protection Paladins can have a tougher experience overall.
- Released
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November 23, 2004
- ESRB
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T for Teen: Blood and Gore, Crude Humor, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence (online interactions not rated)
- Engine
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Unreal engine
